And new philosophy calls all in doubt, The element of fire is quite put out; The sun is lost, and the earth, and no man's wit, Can well direct him where to look for it. And freely men confess that this world's spent, When in the planets, and the firmament They seek so many new; then see that this Is crumbled out again to his atomies. 'Tis all in pieces, all coherence gone; All just supply, and all relation: Prince, subject, Father, Son, are things forgot.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- New science shatters old order making the world feel broken and without connection.
- In plain terms
- New discoveries make the world seem scattered and meaningless.
- What can you take from it?
- Change can feel like losing order.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you find order?
- Is chaos necessary?
Another view
Change can also create better understanding.
More from John Donne
Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; For, thus friends absent speak.
Permalink to quote #43 We understood Her by her sight; her pure, and eloquent blood Spoke in her cheeks, and so distinctly wrought, That one might almost say, her body thought.
Permalink to quote #45 Ah cannot we As well as cocks and lions jocund be, After such pleasures?
Permalink to quote #42
Related quotes
We live in a beautiful and orderly world, not in a chaos without norms, as we sometimes seem to.
M. C. EscherM. C. Escher quote #1 Progress everywhere today does seem to come so very heavily disguised as chaos.
Joyce GrenfellJoyce Grenfell quote #3 Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit.
Henry AdamsHenry Adams quote #15